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NTSB
BLAMES CAPTAIN FOR COLGAN CRASHThe probable cause of the Colgan
Air crash that killed 50 people near Buffalo, N.Y., a year ago was
the captain's inappropriate response, characterized as "startle and
confusion," after the stick shaker was activated, the NTSB
reported in a hearing on Tuesday. The captain pulled back when he
should have pushed forward, the board said, causing an accelerated
stall. Contributing factors included the crew's failure to monitor
airspeed and their violation of the sterile-cockpit rule. In the daylong
hearing, which ran past 7 p.m., the board split over the issue of
whether or not fatigue was a contributing factor in the accident. Board
chairman Deborah Hersman argued that several factors, including the
crew's sleep deficits and the time of day the accident took place,
indicated that fatigue was present, and should be counted as a
contributing factor to the crew's performance. But the view of board
member Robert Sumwalt prevailed -- he said just because the crew was
fatigued, that doesn't mean it was a factor in their performance.
More...

COLGAN
AIR, FAA, LAWMAKERS RESPOND TO NTSB FINDINGSReacting to
Tuesday's conclusions from the NTSB blaming the flight crew for the
fatal crash last February, Colgan Air released a statement saying the crew had been properly trained.
"They knew what to do in the situation they faced that night a year ago,
had repeatedly demonstrated they knew what to do, and yet did not do
it," the company wrote. "We cannot speculate on why they did not use
their training in dealing with the situation they faced ... We want to
make clear again that our pilots are highly trained to handle all
situations they may encounter." The FAA also issued a statement, saying they will soon publish proposed
federal rules to prevent pilot fatigue and further improve
training. "Airline passengers deserve an expertly trained and
well-rested crew, whether they are flying on a major or a regional jet,"
the FAA said. "Pilots must be trained for the mission they are flying
and the FAA already is working to further improve their professional
qualifications." The NTSB report also prompted response from lawmakers
in Washington. More...

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NATCA
PROTESTS FAA FACILITY CONSOLIDATION PLANSAir traffic
controllers in Ohio are protesting a move by the FAA to consolidate
operations from several locations in the northern part of the state to a
central facility in Cleveland. The consolidation would mean poorer
service to pilots, a loss of local knowledge among controllers, and
degraded safety and efficiency, according to the National Air Traffic
Controllers Association. NATCA has been meeting with local pilots and
government officials in the region to encourage opposition to the FAA
plans. Under the current setup, controllers are familiar with the area
around the airports where they work. That could change if controllers
are consolidated, NATCA spokeswoman Alex Caldwell told a local news site. The FAA's proposed plan establishes
large controller stations in Columbus and Cleveland, but doesn't provide
redundant support in case of a problem at one of the locations, she
said. FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory told the Toledo Blade that no final decisions have been made
regarding consolidation, but some NATCA members said plans are already
in place for controllers to be moved as soon as this summer.
More...

View Trade-A-Plane's
New Edition at No Cost on Your Mobile Device!
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Search for aircraft (hourly updates). Find companies, products, and
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view all of our ads at no cost, all the time! Call (800)
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CONCORDE
CRASH TRIAL UNDER WAY IN FRANCENearly 10 years after an Air
France Concorde crashed and burned near Paris, killing all 109 people on
board and four on the ground, a trial began this week in France to
determine who will be held responsible. Six defendants have been charged
with involuntary manslaughter -- two maintenance workers employed by
Continental Airlines who were involved in installing a titanium strip
that fell off a DC-10 onto the runway, allegedly causing the damage to
the Concorde that led to the crash; two former engineers at
Aerospatiale, the company that built the Concorde; a former official of
the French civil aviation authority who oversaw Concorde operations; and
Continental Airlines itself. All of the accused have denied the charges.
A French investigation found the installation of the metal strip on the
Continental jet did not meet FAA standards. Continental's lawyers say
they have witnesses who will testify that the Concorde engine was
already on fire before it struck the debris. More...

FEDERAL
BUDGET FREE OF AVIATION USER FEESThe budget plan released by
the White House this week drops last year's proposal to impose aviation
user fees, and instead retains the traditional FAA funding formula of
taxes on tickets and fuel plus a general-fund contribution. "We have
waged a 12-month campaign since the moment we learned of a planned $9.6
billion fee," AOPA President Craig Fuller said on Monday. "General
aviation organizations worked together to prevent the realization of a
policy that could have crippled GA." Other advocacy groups expressed
similar relief, while noting that the budget addresses the issue only
for the next fiscal year. "The industry must remain vigilant to ensure
that any future user fee proposals are unsuccessful," said James Coyne,
president of the National Air Transportation Association. Ed Bolen,
president of NBAA, also advised caution. "Whether or not this is
an indication of a permanent policy shift on user fees, or a one-time
development remains to be determined," he said. "Our industry must
continue to make its voice heard on this and other issues."
More...

Piper Hosts Wichita
Engineering Job Fair
Meet representatives on Friday, February 5 and Saturday,
February 6 from 8:00am to 6:00pm at the Broadview Hotel, located at
400 W. Douglas Ave. E-mail your resume to
wichitajobfair@piper.com
to be considered for a scheduled interview with hiring managers. For
more information and a list of available positions,
visit the careers page of
Piper.com.

FAA
PREPS FOR CROWDED SKIES FOR SUPER BOWL SUNDAYThe Super Bowl,
coming up this Sunday, is not only a big event for football teams, TV
advertisers, and pizza delivery drivers, it's a big deal for general
aviation, with lots of extra traffic expected for south Florida and special flight rules in place. The FAA will
establish a TFR around Dolphin Stadium effective two hours before the
Super Bowl begins until one hour after the game ends, approximately 4
p.m. to midnight local time. The TFR consists of two rings of protected
airspace, 10 nautical miles and 30 nautical miles in diameter, from the
ground up to 18,000 feet surrounding the stadium. The only flights
permitted within the 10-mile ring will be public safety, military, and
commercial passenger, cargo, and private charters operating under a
TSA-approved security program. Flights by media, banner towers, blimps,
general aviation, or any other flight activities, are prohibited. The
10-mile ring includes Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport,
Opa-Locka Executive Airport and North Perry Airport. GA aircraft at
those three airports will not be able to arrive or depart while the TFR
is in effect. More...

HOWARD
LEVY, AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHER, DEAD AT 88Howard Levy, of
Freehold, N.J., who died at home last week at age 88, took his first
airplane photograph at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, in 1936, when he
was just 15 years old. He sold his first picture a year later. Over his
long career, his work appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine, AOPA Pilot,
Sport Pilot, Private Pilot, Kitplanes, and dozens more. He was a staff
editor at Look magazine for 25 years. Among many other awards, the staff
of Kitplanes presented him with a Silver Anniversary Lifetime
Achievement Award, in 2005. He was a founding member of the American
Aviation Historical Society in 1956 and a founding member of the
Aviation/Space Writers Association. He served in the Air Corps as a
photographer in World War II in Africa, Sicily and Italy. He remained
active, shooting pictures at EAA AirVenture last summer, and attending
local EAA chapter meetings monthly. More...

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FOR
THIS YEAR'S COLLIER TROPHY, THE NOMINEES ARE...The National
Aeronautic Association this week released its list of nominees for the
2009 Robert J. Collier Trophy, long considered one of the more
prestigious awards in the aviation world. The Collier Trophy aims to
honor "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in
America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and
safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly
demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year." This year's
nominees are: Aircell, which offers inflight communications
services; NASA's Ares 1 crew launch vehicle; Lockheed Martin's C-5M Super Galaxy cargo airplane; the Kandahar Airfield [Afghanistan] Operations Team; the
International Space Station; the MC-12W Project Liberty Enterprise Team, which
developed a variant of the King Air 350 for military use; the SpaceX Falcon
1 Development Team; and former Senator John Warner and the Excalibur Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle.
More...

QUESTION
OF THE WEEK: YOUR 2010 COLLIER TROPHY PICKSThe nominations
for the prestigious Collier Trophy, given annually by the National
Aeronautic Association for "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or
astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance,
efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has
been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year" were
released Wednesday. Who or what is your pick for aviation's most
prestigious prize?

Plus: Last week, we asked
AVweb readers what the various GA groups should make their top
priority in 2010; click through to see how they answered.
More...

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EXCLUSIVE
VIDEO: ROTAX ENGINE ESSENTIALSWhat's
special about preflighting the Rotax engines found on most LSAs? Tim
Brooks, Director of Maintenance for Heart of Virginia Aviation, takes
you on a just-the-facts tour explaining what you're looking for and why
it's important. More...

AVweb reader Charles "Doc" Truthan told us
how StarPort
USA at the Orlando-Sanford International Airport (KSFB) is
"providing fuel at cost to pilots with Angel Flight
Southeast/Mercy Flight Southeast who are flying Haitian refugees ... to
their Florida destinations." But that's not all:

[T]hey are [also] delivering the fuel to the
aircraft at the terminal gate we are operating from, so the pilot does
not have to spend time and fuel taxiing between the FBO and the pickup
gate.

For their "outstanding service and American
spirit," StarPort is our latest "FBO of the Week."

PICTURE
OF THE WEEK: AVWEB'S FLYING PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASEPutting together a
weekly selection of reader-submitted photos can be a demanding job
 especially when you have a readership as talented and prolific as
AVweb's. Once again, we find ourselves forced to choose among
top-notch submissions and somehow select one as our "Picture of
the Week." Refueling was something of a theme in this week's
submissions. We had three great photos of mid-air refuelings, but this
one from Christopher Kosseff of
Monroe Township, New Jersey stole our breath and cinched the top spot.
More...

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sales team.

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